Oscar "Gene" Eugene Bates' Obituary
Oscar Eugene (Gene) Bates III, 80, passed away on December 17, 2016, in Tulsa, OK. Gene was born on September 24, 1936, in Hopkinsville, KY, to Vivian (Abney) and Oscar Eugene Bates, Jr. Gene spent the majority of his childhood school years in Baton Rouge, LA, before moving to Tulsa for his Senior Year of High School. He worked for TG&Y Stores for over 20 years, holding the positions of Store Manager, District Manager and VP of Store Operations. After leaving TG&Y, Gene became a realtor/broker and opened Bates & Associates Realty in Tulsa. Gene was a generous and caring man who had a life long passion for golf and college basketball. He enjoyed annual family trips to Colorado in the winter and Florida in the summer.On May 1, 1987, Gene married his loving wife Anita Fox. Gene had two daughters, Laura (Laurie) and Jill, from a previous marriage. Gene was preceded in death by his parents. Gene is survived by his caring wife Anita; daughter Jill and her husband Dr. John Dilger from Rochester, MN, and their children Oliver, Madeline and Eleanor; daughter Laurie and her husband Richard (Rick) Davis from Carmel, IN and his children Kaitlyn and Reed; step-daughter Leigh Rae and her husband John Keathley from Mounds and her son David Sell; step-son Craig Fox and his wife Lisa from Tulsa and his daughters Brittany, Tiffany, and Syndey and their families; and sister Lizabeth (Liz) and her husband Dean Bell from Mineral Springs, AR.Services will be held on Friday, December 23, at 2:00pm in the Rose Chapel at Floral Haven Funeral Home in Broken Arrow, OK. Dr. David Thomas, pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church, will conduct the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The First Tee or Special Olympics in his name.
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